For a long time, or the past year at least, the smartphone debate has been about two companies and two companies only: Samsung and Apple.

The two tech giants have been going head-to-head with Apple’s iPhone taking on the likes of the Samsung Galaxy, the Galaxy S2, and the Galaxy Note.

And according to research company IDC, it is Apple who is winning that war at the moment. The latest figures, for the fourth quarter of 2011, show that Apple has a 23.5% share of the global smartphone market.

This beats the 22.8% currently held by Samsung. OK, so it’s not a huge margin, but it is significant nonetheless.

But these numbers could change in the coming months, as two other tech companies are gearing up for big things in 2012.

We’re talking about HTC and Nokia. While Samsung and Apple have been scrapping for top spot, HTC and Nokia have been ploughing away in the mid-table.

We are due a new device from both HTC and Nokia this year, in the form of the Nokia Lumia 900 and the HTC Edge. So how do the two smartphones compare?